Niagara-on-the-Lake (Ontario, Canada) | Top diplomats from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies publicly showed their consensus on Ukraine and Sudan on Wednesday, but stayed away from contentious issues like the U.S. military strikes on boats in the Caribbean and trade.
The foreign ministers of the G7 met with Ukraine's foreign minister on Wednesday as Kyiv tries to fend off Russian aerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across the country. Andriy Sybiha said Ukraine needs the support of its partners to survive what will be a “very difficult, very tough winter.”
“We have to move forward to pressure Russia, to raise the price for the aggression, for Russia, for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, to end this war,” Sybiha said.
The G7 ministers said in a joint statement at the conclusion of the two-day gathering that they are increasing the economic costs to Russia and exploring measures against those who finance Russia's war efforts.
Canada announced more sanctions against Russia, including targeting those involved in the development and deployment of drones, and Britain, a day earlier, pledged money for Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made no immediate announcements about new U.S. initiatives but said on social media that the meeting delved into ways “to strengthen Ukraine's defense and find an end to this bloody conflict.”
“We are doing whatever is necessary to support Ukraine,” Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said.
The meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake, near the U.S. border, followed U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to end trade talks with Canada after the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariff advertisement in the U.S., which upset him. That followed a spring of acrimony, since abated, over the president's insistence that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.
Anand declined to talk about the trade dispute.
“I am here to talk about the work that the G7 ministers are doing,” she said. “And that is exactly what I think I should be discussing.”
Anand met with Rubio, but said she did not bring up trade talks, noting that a different minister leads the trade issue.
US military strikes also 'didn't come up'
The Trump administration says the U.S. military has killed at least 75 people in 19 known strikes against what it says are drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. The administration has been under pressure from Congress to provide more information about who is being targeted and the legal justification for the strikes.
Rubio told reporters that questions about the military campaign and intelligence sharing in support of the operations were not raised with him at all by any of his G7 or other counterparts on Wednesday.
“It didn't come up once,” Rubio said. He also denied a report that Britain has stopped sharing intelligence.
“Again, nothing has changed or happened that is impeded in any way our ability to do what we're doing. Nor are we asking anyone to help us with what we're doing -- in any realm. And that includes military,” Rubio said.
Strong statements on Sudan
The G7 ministers in their joint statement strongly condemned the recent escalation of violence in war-torn Sudan, and Rubio decried the humanitarian situation and said “something needs to be done” to cut off the weapons and other support that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are receiving as they battle the Sudanese army.
Asked by reporters about the role of the United Arab Emirates in the conflict, Rubio said the U.S. knows who's involved in supplying the RSF.
“I can just tell you, at the highest levels of our government, that case is being made and that pressure is being applied to the relevant parties,” Rubio said, without naming any country. “This needs to stop. I mean, they're clearly receiving assistance from outside.”
The Associated Press has reported that U.S. intelligence assessments for many months have found that the United Arab Emirates, a close U.S. ally, has been sending weapons to the RSF. The UAE denies backing the RSF.
The G7 comprises Canada, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Anand also invited the foreign ministers of Australia, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine to the meeting, which began Tuesday.
